Ben's Yin Or Yang (SOLD)
9.5" x 6.5"
Acrylic On Canvas
Bill Via Zoom (SOLD)
11.5" x 10.5"
Acrylic On Canvas
Filling The Gratitude Cup (SOLD)
43.5" x 29"
Mixed Media
Self Portrait With Pfizer Band-aid
24.5" x 10.5"
Acrylic, Ink, Glitter And Collaged Bandage On Canvas
"My work discusses ideas about motherhood, spirituality, and consciousness as it intersects the bounds of dimensions and space time. Art is my way of processing experiences, translating raw feelings into visual form. Over time, my work has become an increasingly intimate reflection of this emotional landscape and I use a variety of materials to express these ideas."
- Mickayel Thurin
Peace, 53.5" x 44", Mixed Media On Canvas
Thurin draws directly from her life as a first-generation Haitian American woman living with her young family in the U.S., saying, “I’ve always made work based on emotions, but once the work became more intimate and expressive, it became illustrations of emotions. I find the emotions connect people to the work and to our shared experiences.” Each of Thurin's portraits has the ability to represent a larger collective sharing, whether it be of maternal peace, the mending ability of a self-soothing mantra or the cathartic power of a guttural scream.
Thurin’s works provide a rich experience of color, texture and form. She thoughtfully chooses brightly saturated patterns and textured materials, interweaving them with expressive, painted faces and bodies. Reds, oranges and yellows generate emotive activity, be it zipping across the picture energetically or rippling outward to mimic a holistic aura. Each visual notation Thurin incorporates aids the formal interpretation of space and serves to reinforce the narrative details of her works. She regularly enhances her portraits with written words, phrases, and sometimes direct missives in order to make a strong point or to underscore the emotional state of her subjects.
Thurin’s deep and thorough understanding of her own internal emotional landscape is deftly conveyed through her paintings. Through pictorial imagery, tactile materials, and messaging, she both mirrors and channels these personal experiences. This approach not only mirrors the artist’s journey, but also offers viewers an opportunity to find their own healing and growth through engagement with her work.
No Pepperoni (Detail), 12" x 9", Mixed Media On Canvas
Mickayel Thurin is a Haitian American artist whose work explores themes of emotion, spirituality, and the human experience through mixed media. She grew up in the Mid-Atlantic region and earned a BFA and a four-year certificate through the joint program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, later completing her Master’s at Penn State.
Thurin was the founder of Seen Heard Connected, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and providing financial assistance to marginalized communities. She was an artist-in-residence at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and has exhibited work at the Philadelphia International Airport, The Delaware Contemporary, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Woodmere Art Museum, the Saginaw Art Museum, and many local galleries. Thurin and her work have been featured in several publications, on film and TV (WHYY’s Infinite Art Hunt). She has also partnered with Mural Arts, the PMA, the Philadelphia Magic Gardens, DVAA and others to conduct art workshops with the public. She currently has work up at the Rockwood Museum and Park’s We the People, Woodmere’s 83rd Annual, and will have an upcoming solo show, Care, Kin, Perspective, at the Philadelphia Magic Garden later this year.
Thurin lives and works in Philadelphia with her husband, fellow artist Benjamin Passione, and their two sons, Maurice and Maximo. She is represented by Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia.
Comfort, 53.5" x 44", Mixed Media
Learning to Love Myself, 20" x 32", Mixed Media
Mickayel Thurin shares insights and connects with the writers of SHOUTOUT LA in this feature, click the link below to read more:
"...what do you want your legacy to be?
I want my legacy to be that I sparked a deeper awakening in people—encouraging them to embrace their most authentic selves and fully engage with the present moment. Through my art, I aim to stir emotions, disrupt autopilot living, and connect people to the raw truth of their experience. I want to be remembered for speaking my truth unapologetically and living in alignment with my highest timeline—honest, intentional, and at peace on purpose. In 50 years, I hope people will say I illuminated a mindset that empowered others to become their best selves and live with greater awareness and love. And if I didn’t achieve that, I hope they’ll say I embodied it in my own life..."
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
– Henry David Thoreau
Gross McCleaf Gallery invites you to experience the magic of summer with a group exhibition titled Summer Playlist. Curated like a finely tuned mixtape, this vibrant selection of works explores seasonal themes of celebration, relaxation, and engagement with nature.
“Painting beautiful people and things in beautiful light, indeed finding almost every moment of perception a candidate for this beauty, I wonder if a certain fidelity to the ever-renewed ripening of an orchard through all its necessary stages of metamorphosis isn’t an analogy for the privilege of painting.”
- Scott Noel, The Apples of Pomona, 2024 catalog
Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to present Apples of Pomona, an exhibition of new works by Scott Noel showcasing a vibrant array of new oil paintings and several acrylic and pastel works on rag board. Each painting is alive with Noel’s spirited intention to, “vary and reconfigure painting’s visual eloquence to express the beauty of the world”. While the small to medium-sized paintings range in subject from the nude to still-life and landscape, the exhibition is anchored by three monumental, multi-panel figure compositions that demonstrate Noel’s devotion to layered narratives, sophisticated color mixing and his signature painterly touch.
Women have been the cornerstone of operations and exhibitions at Gross McCleaf since Estelle Shane Gross opened her gallery in 1970 on the second floor of 1713 Walnut Street. Over 50 years later, Gross McCleaf is commemorating its rich history during (re)Focus 2024, a citywide festival celebrating women-identified and BIPOC artists.
Fortitude at 50: A Resilient Five Decades at Gross McCleaf Gallery features Martha Armstrong, Jan Baltzell, Joan Becker, Elizabeth Geiger, Eileen Goodman, Penelope Harris, Heidi Leitzke, Bertha Leonard, Ying Li, Ann Lofquist, Chelsey Luster, Bethann Parker, Nicole Parker, Jane Piper, Kimi Pryor, Mary Putman, Celia Reisman, Val Rossman, Mickayel Thurin, Leigh Werrell, and Lauren Whearty with self-portraits, dreamy narratives and formally complex still-life and landscape paintings. The works suggest a deep reflection of the self and a strong point of view conveyed through their distinct subjects and styles. The exhibition represents women artists in all stages of their careers who have helped shape the Gross McCleaf legacy and brand focus toward what Sharon Ewing, former owner and director, refers to as “painterly realism” – representation in painted form.
Gross McCleaf Artist Mickayel Thurin discusses her studio practice with TK Smith, Assistant Curator: Art of the African Diaspora at the Barnes Foundation in The Scream: Self-Portraiture That Expresses Universal Emotions at GMG. In this video, Thurin discusses her personal biography, developing a distinctive style, meaning in materials and formation of the figure, all the while exploring the almalgamation of emotions.
Click below to listen and watch this insightful dialogue unfold.
Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new paintings by gallery artist, Douglas Martenson and a group exhibition featuring the work of Brian Boutwell, Betsy Eby, Deirdre Murphy, Celia Reisman, Rebecca Segall, Sterling Shaw, Michayel Thurin, Alexandra Tyng, and Leigh Werrell, curated by Douglas Martenson.
Douglas Martenson paints observationally in various locations in Maine and Pennsylvania. He meticulously documents the light, atmosphere and environment of each view through a variety of painting techniques. While the painted objects appear with local color firmly established, a sensitive eye will begin to perceive deep reds, light purples, golds, chromatic grays and a spectrum of ever-present blues. Martenson’s careful handling of paint opens up worlds within each object, giving way to a conceptual interpretation over time.
